It is known to “link” gaming machines to provide a number of additional functionalities. This includes the ability to control the awarding of a prize, as the pool of available funds is greater and the amount of funds available is known rather than having to be estimated. Another functionality of interlinked gaming machines is that secondary gaming is possible. For example, for a given group of interlinked gaming machines, a central display provides the gamers with a visual indication of an accumulating value that is being incrementally increased as the gamers operate the interlinked gaming machines. It is known by the gamers that a prize will be awarded when the accumulating value has incremented to a randomly selected prize value that is unknown to the gamers and which is less than a predefined value. Typically, the predefined value will also be visually indicated to the gamers by the display. At the time a prize is awarded the prize value is equal to or very similar to the accumulating value that is displayed to the gamers.
It is also known to provide a number of jackpot “prize levels”, in that a plurality of accumulating values are simultaneously incrementing toward respective randomly selected prize values to provide a corresponding number of prizes available to be awarded to the gamers of the machine participating in the secondary game. Typically each level is defined by a range from which the respective prize value is randomly chosen, and the ranges of the levels can but often do not overlap. As the gaming machines are operated to allow the gamers to play the respective primary games a contribution of each wager made in the primary game is contributed to the secondary game. The contributions are provided by the individual gaming machines to a jackpot controller as part of respective input signals. The jackpot controller is responsive to the input signals for providing an increment signal for each prize level which, in turn, increments the respective accumulating values for those levels toward the respective prize value for those levels. Once a given accumulating value reaches the prize value for the given level, the prize is awarded by transferring funds corresponding to the prize value for that prize to the relevant gaming machine. Following the award of a prize for a level, a new prize value is selected for that level and the increments of the accumulating values continue.
The use of such functionality is intended to provide additional impetus to the gamers to play the machines and thereby win a prize in the secondary game in addition to any prize available to be awarded by the respective machine in the primary game. However, with the increasing sophistication of the gamers and their approach to gaming, the interest in the secondary game has diminished.
As the size and complexity of secondary games such as jackpot systems has increased there has been a proliferation of the number of prizes to be awarded. Each prize has a prize value that is stored in memory on the jackpot system and is open to abuse by less scrupulous venue operators or employees of that operator. For example, an operator may be tempted to access one or more of the prize values to determine when to focus his or her own efforts at winning one of the prizes available. This temptation is exacerbated for the larger jackpot prize values, and can present a significant security issue for larger venues where there is a need to have many personnel able to access the prize values to ensure continuous and reliable operation of the IT systems involved in implementing the secondary game.
The discussion of the prior art within this specification is to assist the addressee understand the invention and is not an admission of the extent of the common general knowledge in the field of the invention and is included without prejudice.